Police seek assault charges after transgender boy beaten in Massachusetts

GLOUCESTER, Massachusetts — Police in Massachusetts are seeking to charge three teenagers in connection with an attack on a transgender boy in August.

After a lengthy investigation, the Gloucester Police Department said Friday that it has filed applications for criminal complaints seeking assault and battery charges against two 16-year-old boys and a 17-year-old boy. The teens will next face a juvenile court hearing after which a clerk magistrate will determine whether there is probable cause to move forward.

The victim, Jayden Tkaczyk, said he was at an outdoor party when as many as a dozen teens attacked him, called him homophobic slurs and chased him into the woods. He said he was treated at a hospital for a broken bone under his right eye and scratches and bruises on his body.

Police assigned a specially trained hate crime investigator to the case and consulted with other experts, but the evidence did not support hate crime charges, Chief Edward Connelly said in a statement.

''Our department conducted a meticulous, thorough, and compassionate investigation, and the resulting charges are consistent with the evidence,'' Conley said. ''Our thoughts remain with the victim, who suffered significant injuries in this attack.''